What happened
On August 6, 2025, at approximately 13:00 central daylight time, an Ayres Corporation S2R-G6, registration N2239V, was involved in an accident near Slayton, Minnesota. The aircraft was being operated by North Star Aviation Inc under Part 137 agricultural flight regulations.
While performing the first spray pass of the flight, the pilot was flying at approximately 200 feet above the ground in a flat left turn. According to the pilot, the flight controls suddenly locked, preventing the pilot from returning the controls to the center position despite using both hands and attempting rudder inputs. The pilot reported maintaining an airspeed of approximately 120 knots and stated the aircraft did not stall.
Due to the lack of altitude for recovery, the aircraft impacted the terrain in a left wing low attitude and cartwheeled to a stop. The impact caused substantial damage to the wings, fuselage, and empennage. The pilot sustained one serious injury.
Weather conditions at the time were reported as VMC with clear skies and winds of 200 degrees at 6 knots, with visibility of 10 statute miles. The aircraft was lightly loaded at approximately 30-40% capacity, and the pilot had reported no previous maintenance issues with the aircraft.